by Melissa Bridges

I had my doubts about The Canadian Opera Company’s current production of Benjamin Britten’s final opera Death is Venice, as I am not normally a fan of twentieth century opera. However, I was blown away by the heart wrenching and masterfully created extravaganza currently playing at The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Based on Thomas Mann’s novella, the opera revolves around an aging German novelist, Gustav von Aschenbach, a conflicted writer who travels to Venice to find new inspiration. He becomes drawn to the pride and youthful beauty of a young Polish boy, Tadzio, amidst an outbreak of a cholera epidemic in the decaying city.

Continue reading Review: Death in Venice (The Canadian Opera Company) →